In this week’s edition: Authors sign a letter supporting striking workers at HarperCollins; the publisher presents its side in an open letter to authors and agents; Penguin Random House’s longtime CEO steps down; a literary magazine stops publishing; Louisiana’s Attorney General launches a tip line to report library books; a look back at an eventful year in the publishing industry; and more.

Penguin Random House CEO Steps Down
The New York Times
Markus Dohle, who led Random House and Penguin Random House for nearly 15 years, will step down as CEO and resign from the Bertelsmann executive board following the publisher’s failed acquisition of Simon & Schuster.

Hundreds of Authors Give Support to Striking Workers at HarperCollins
NPR
More than 500 authors have signed a letter supporting striking workers at HarperCollins and pledging to omit the publisher from submission lists until a deal is reached.

HarperCollins Addresses Stalled Union Negotiations, Union Responds
Publishers Weekly
Meanwhile, HarperCollins president and CEO Brian Murray addressed the stalled negotiations in an open letter to authors and agents.

Louisiana Attorney General Creates “Protecting Minors” Tip Line to Report Library Books
Yahoo! News
The Attorney General of Louisiana has launched an online tip line where residents can report library books they find to be inappropriate in order to stop alleged “taxpayer-subsided [sic] sexualization of children.”

”Expressive Times”: Publishing Industry an Open Book in 2022
Associated Press
As correspondent Hillel Italie explains in this look back at the last year, “In 2022, the story of book publishing was often the industry itself.”

Writers’ Earnings Have Plummeted—With Women, Black and Mixed Race Authors Worst Hit
The Guardian
A new report shows that the income of professional authors in the U.K. averages only £7,000.

AI Bot ChatGPT Stuns Academics With Essay-Writing Skills and Usability
The Guardian
The latest chatbot from the OpenAI foundation, which has been released for anyone to use during a feedback period, has impressed academics with its ability to identify incorrect premises and its refusal to answer inappropriate requests.

Astra Magazine Had Creative Freedom and a Budget. It Wasn’t Enough.
The New York Times
Astra Magazine, a literary journal that sought to promote literature in translation and published its first issue in April, announced its closure this week. The Times examines what happened and “the tenuous place of literary magazines in the American publishing landscape.”